Nurser combination



July 3, 1956 c. RODRIGUEZ 2,753,067

NURSER COMBINATION Filed Nov. 5. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Jfiy 3, W56 RODRIGUEZ NURSER COMBINATION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 3, 1950 INVENTOR ATTOR'I EV NURSER COMBINATION Camilo Rodriguez, East Greenwich, R. I., assignr to Davol Rubber Company, a corporation Application November 3, 1950, Serial No. 193,870

6 Claims. (Cl. 215-41) The present invention relates to infant feeding devices, and has particular reference to a novel nursing bottle and nipple combination.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a nursing bottle and nipple combination which can be manually adjusted to control and to regulate the feeding.

Another object of the invention is to provide a nursing bottle and nipple combination which has a continuously open regulatable vent to the interior of the bottle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a nursing bottle and nipple combination which can be adjusted to closely simulate natural feeding conditions.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, the invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more specifically defined in the claims appended thereto.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is an elevation showing the nurser combination of nursing bottle and feeding nipple;

Fig. 2 is a vertical partial section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred retaining cap;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a preferred closure element;

Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 2, the parts being positioned for traveling or for placing in a refrigerator;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through a preferred nipple construction;

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 6;

Fig. 7a is a plan view of a modified bottom construction;

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail showing the venting arrangement of parts for the nipple of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a sectional detail similar to Fig. 8, the parts being shown in partial vent closure relation;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 8, the nipple having a modified venting construction;

Fig. 11 is a partial bottom plan view of the nipple of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 10, the parts being shown in partial vent closure relation;

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 8, the nipple having another modified venting construction; and

Fig. 14 is a partial bottom plan view of the nipple of Fig. 13.

It has been found desirable to devise a nurser combination which is readily assembled for feeding, and which may be quickly arranged for storage in a refrigerator or the like and for ease in transporting when traveling, the parts being so arranged that a regulated feeding is provided.

To this end, I prefer to utilize a nursing bottle of the medium mouth type which has an externally threaded neck, and I provide a feeding nipple which has an annular :nited tates Patent 0 base flange adapted to seat on the rim of the bottle neck and to be retained in place by a retainer cap which threads on the bottle neck to lock the nipple base flange to the bottle rim with regulatable compression.

I further provide the feeding nipple with a novel venting arrangement whereby a continuously open vent permits air to flow into the bottle interior during the feeding operation, the parts being designed to control the area of the continuously open vent by threading or unthreading the retainer cap to regulate the pressure: on the nipple base flange, whereby a regulated uniform feeding results.

Referring to the drawings, the novel nurser combina tion 10 includes a nursing bottle 11 of the medium mouth type, and a feeding nipple 12 of novel design held on the bottle 11 by a retainer cap 13. The bottle 11 has the usual neck 14 which terminates in a rim 15., and the neck is externally threaded as indicated by the reference nu eral 16.

The nipple 12 is of hollow formation, with a generally cylindrical body portion 17 which narrows upwardly into a reduced neck 18 having a slightly enlarged feeding tip 19 of spherical form at its upper end which is provided with one or more feeding passages 20. The inner wall 21 of the neck is cylindrical and is preferably extended vertically downward and the inner wall 22 of the body portion curves upwardly and then inwardly to form a recess 23 and a depending annular flange 24 as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 6. The outer wall 25 of the body portion curves upwardly as illustrated to merge with the outer wall 26 of the neck 18, whereby a thickened annular portion 27 of generally triangular cross-section is provided at the junction of the body portion and the nipple neck.

The lower end of the body portion 17 of the nipple is provided with an annular outwardly extending base flange 28, the lower surface 29 of the flange having at least one recess 30 formed therein. As illustrated in Fig. 7 the preferred shape of the recess is generally rectangular with an inner side 31 adjacent the center opening 32 of the nipple, lateral sides 33, 34, and an outer side 35 curved circularly in spaced parallel relation to the outer edge of the base flange. An upstanding rib may be positioned adjacent each lateral side 33, 34, as indicated at 33a and 34a in Fig. 7A. The space between the recess 30 and the outer edge of the base flange constitutes a dam wall 36 and the flange portion 37 just above the recess 30 is pierced by a vent opening 38 which is preferably located adjacent to the dam wall 36.

The retainer cap 13 is of hard rubber, Bakelite, or the like, and is cup shaped, with 21 depending rim 39 which is preferably provided with flattened areas 40 on the outer surface 41 to facilitate manual turning, the inner surface 42 being threaded as indicated at 43 to engage the bottle neck threads. The top 44 of the retainer cap has a central opening 45 for loosely receiving the body portion of the nipple, with an upstanding annular flange 46, the lower surface of the top 44 having an annular depending rib 47 positioned to be in alignment with the bottle neck rim, as illustrated.

When the nipple is positioned on the bottle rim and the retainer cap is turned down, the annular cap rib 47 presses down on the nipple base flange to form a fluid tight seal between the base flange and the bottle rim, see Fig. 2. The interior of the bottle is vented through the recess 30 and opening 38 and between the nipple and the center opening of the cap whereby a continuously open air vent passage is provided, see Fig. 8. As the retainer cap is screwed down, the nipple base flange compresses slightly, as the nipple is made of resilient material such as soft rubber, and the opening 38 distorts slightly as shown in Fig. 9, to provide a regulated change in its area, whereby an exact control of the venting air infiowing to the bottle is obtained in accordance with the extent of threading down of the retainer cap. Although one recess and air passage is illustrated, it may be desirable to provide several recesses and air passages when a greater flow of liquid from the nurser is desired.

The described construction thus provides a controlled continuous vent, with no leak of liquid from the bottle at any time, as the seal between the nipple base flange and the bottle rim. is unbroken at all times. The control of the venting air is obtained by distorting the air vent passage to reduce the flow area, and is thus entirely dependent on and is a function of the compression of the base flange by the retainer cap. Whereas the passage 38 is circular in cross section under low compression, it becomes oval and flattens as the compression is increased.

When the bottle is filled for storage in a refrigerator or for carrying when travelling, the nipple is reversed in position on the bottle to seat within the bottle neck, as illustrated in Fig. 5. In this position the retainer cap presses the nipple base flange down on the bottle neck to form a seal, and leakage through the nipple feeding passages is prevented by using a closure plug 48, see Fig. 4, made of resilient rubber or the like, which has an annular recess 49 to receive the flange 46 of the retainer cap, and a rounded lower portion 50 which seats in the opening 4-5 of the retainer cap, the outer edge 51 of the portion 50 flexibly snapping by the flange 46.

Although an air vent passage 38 such as illustrated in Fig. 8 is preferred, the passage to the recess 38 may be of different shape and arrangement. As illustrated in Figs. 10, 11, and 12, the nipple base flange 52 may have a lateral right angle passage 53 which extends from the outer edge 54 of the flange to the recess 30. With this construction an increase in compression of the base flange distorts the passage 53 as illustrated in Fig. 12 to decrease the venting area.

For manufacturing convenience in piercing the passage 38 it may be desirable to provide a conical recess 55 in the flange portion 37 as shown in Figs. 13 and 14, whereby a piercing pin may readily pierce a passage 56.

The resulting vent opening functions similarly to the vent opening 38.

Since it is desirable to also feed fruit and vegetable juices to the infant, the nipple has been designed so that it can be mounted on a small mouth nursing bottle for this purpose. To this end, the nipple central opening has a tapered edge 57, see Fig. 6, and an internal annular rib 58 is provided in spaced relation to the recess 23, whereby the nipple may be mounted on a small mouth nursing bottle in the usual manner.

Although I have described specific constructional embodiments of the invention, it is obvious that changes in the size, shape, material and proportions of the parts may be made to suit different infant feeding requirements, without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a nursing bottle having a neck with exterior threads, a nipple of flexible material having a hollow body with a base flange of annular form, the nipple flange being seated on the bottle neck rim, and a retainer cap having a top with a central opening through which the nipple body extends in spaced relation to the wall of the central opening, and having a depending annular portion internally threaded to engage the bottle neck threads, the lower surface of the cap top having an annular projection contacting the outer circumferential portion of the nipple flange into sealing engagement with the bottle neck rim, and being in spaced relation to the nipple flange between the annular projection and the nipple body, said nipple flange having a cavity in its lower surface between the flange circumferential portion and the nipple body, whereby the part of the flange at the cavity is of reduced thickness, said nipple flange having an air vent passage through the reduced thickness part thereof and opening into the space between the annular projection and the nipple body, whereby a continuously open communication between the bottle interior and the atmosphere is provided.

2. In the combination of claim 1, said nipple flange lower surface cavity being radial.

3. In the combination of claim 1, said nipple flange lower surface cavity being radial and said nipple flange lower surface having a radial projecting rib closely adjacent one side of the cavity.

4. A nipple of flexible material for a nurser combination of a bottle, a nipple and a retainer cap, comprising a hollow body with an outwardly extending base flange of annular form, the upper and lower surfaces of the flange being generally parallel, said flange having a cavity in its lower surface extending inwardly from a point in spaced relation to the circumferential portion of the flange and terminating short of the nipple body, whereby the flange thickness at the cavity is reduced with respect to the adjacent flange thickness, said flange having an air vent opening through the reduced thickness part thereof formed by the cavity, whereby compression of the flange produces a corresponding distortion of the air vent opening.

5. In the nipple of claim 4, said cavity being radial and generally rectangular in shape.

6. In the nipple of claim 5, said cavity having a rib adjacent one radial wall of the cavity.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 362,554 Suydam May 10, 1887 1,657,663 Devereux Jan. 31, 1928 2,093,130 Kurkjian Sept. 14, 1937 2,093,730 Kurkjian Sept. 21, 1937 2,426,927 Ganson Sept. 2, 1947 2,464,917 Babson Mar. 22, 1949 2,520,157 Little Aug. 29, 1950 

